Sideh Saghira Shams Mecherga - Little Miss Sunshine
by Mini Goat
Summary: Just because you're an adult stuck in a teenage body doesn't mean you don't have to put up with teenage crap
1. Fish Out of Water

**_AN:_**_ Jon and Sammy spend some time navigating the new school year. Jon isn't any less mystified by girls liking him than Jack was and Sammy decides to run off some steam._

**Sideh Saghira Shams Mecherga - Little Miss Sunshine**

**Chapter 1 – Fish Out of Water**

"Hi Jon." The voice was a sweet purr and Jon turned towards the girl talking, who had slipped into the seat behind him.

"Oh. Hi Heather." He said without infliction. She was one of the 'Karens' as Sammy and Jason called them and Jon wasn't even remotely interested.

Heather flipped her straight long blond hair and smiled flirtatiously. "I heard you made Varsity."

"Yup." _Ok, I'm not the smoothest or best looking guy here and I'm still kind of covered in pimples even though Sammy has been treating them with that stuff Brian's mom makes_, he thought. Clearly she's up to something.

"You should go out and celebrate." She told him with a bat of her eyes as she leaned in.

"Trying to study calculus Heather, but I'll keep that in mind." Jon went back to his class work.

Heather pouted a little and tilted her head coyly. "I'm just trying to be friendly Jon."

"I'm sure you are but I really do have schoolwork to do."

"You know, I bet I'm a lot more fun than that girl you're with all the time." She told him thoughtfully.

Jon sighed inwardly. _Why did he have to share a study hall with this bit of fluff instead of Carter or even one of the guys or Lynn_. "I very much doubt that Heather." He absently tried to work on his math problem.

"Well, you won't know without going out with me." She suggested.

"Look, Heather, I'm flattered but I'm not interested in what you're offering. I have a girlfriend."

"I'm sure she's very nice." Heather said in a way that suggested she thought otherwise.

_She's courageous and brilliant and tough as nails,_ he thought. "As a matter of fact, she is." He said with a knowing grin.

"She's such a nerd though. Her idea of fun is probably doing math homework." Heather pouted.

Jon choked on a laugh. "Sometimes, but I happen to like that about her." He had, after all, realized years ago that he could listen to Sam talk about technobabble all day just to listen to her voice which should have been his first clue he had it really bad for her. Especially since when Walter or Siler had done it, his eyes had rolled back into his head and he wanted to die. Oddly not out of a lack of interest but because he preferred to learn his technobabble from books or better yet, his hot leggy dimpled blond with huge blue eyes and - ok that's enough of that. Down boy. Jon admonished himself. School is no place to be walking around half mast.

"But you're a jock. You could have any girl." Heather wheedled.

"I get that this is probably complicated for you, but she's the girl I want."

"I bet I can change your mind." She said with a suggestive grin.

Jon laughed. _In your dreams kid,_ he thought. "Look Heather, it's very sweet of you to offer but there's lots of single guys in this school who would just love to go out with you. Why don't you ask one of them out?" He suggested. Guys his age were pretty shallow after all. They wouldn't care that she was a bit mindless and boring. She had a nice body and pretty hair. At one point in his life, that had been what attracted him too. It wasn't until Sam that he realized he needed the woman sharing his life to stimulate his mind not just his glands though she did plenty of both.

"I know what it is. You don't think you're cute enough. That's ok. I can take you shopping, get your hair professionally cut and styled someplace nice."

Oh boy. "Clothes aren't that important Heather, and my hair is fine. It's under a hockey helmet most of the time anyway." And Carter has never complained about either even if she is a better dresser than me when I'm not in a suit. His mind wandered to Sam in a cocktail dress and grinned absently.

"Ah! You smiled! You like the idea! Come on Jon, it will be fun." Heather said in a cloying voice.

Jon shook his head. "Heather, I appreciate the offer but the only person I like shopping for is my niece because she's little and fun to buy toys for. If Carter's family didn't buy me clothes, I'd probably still be wearing stuff I moved here with and none of that fits now. I gave most of it to Brian for his cousin." He did have some fond memories about a shirt he was wearing when he picked up a particular blond pipsqueak and twirled her around in delight. That shirt he kept in the trunk Jack had given him that had been their Grandmother's. Jon scrubbed absently at his shaggy hair, musing it further. Lynn had swiped an alarming number of his flannel shirts and Sammy had snagged the rest.

Heather wrinkled her nose. "You're our star forward Jon, you should try to look it."

"Have you seen actual hockey players Heather? Half of them don't even have their own teeth." He grumbled but her mouth canted into a half smile and Jon decided he needed to just ignore her and go back to work because this conversation wasn't going anywhere anyway. "Calc Heather, I need to study it because I'm not a national treasure like Sammy is."

"Fine, whatever." She said rolling her eyes and finishing on a huff.

Jon rolled his eyes and laughed inwardly. He went back to his calculus homework that technically he didn't need to study this hard but for a change he wanted to actually finish with decent grades which meant doing the homework even if it was boring and he could calculate derivatives in his sleep the first time he was sixteen, he hadn't picked up the skill this time around simply because Sam never shuts up.

_I seriously need to figure out how to study in the library_, Jon decided.


	2. Run like the Wind

**Chapter 2 – Run like the Wind**

"So you're really doing this?" Lynn asked Sammy.

"Yup." Sammy said grinning. "Want to give it a shot?"

"Have you seen me run Sammy?" Lynn asked laughing. "I live with chain smokers. I can't even run a mile let alone sprint a hundred yards."

"Uncle Jack used to smoke before Aunt Sam met him. I'm kind of glad he quit."

"It's a gross habit. My clothes always smell." Lynn said with a sigh. She loved staying with the Amos's because they let her wash all her things. She and Sammy were close to the same size too so she had extra stuff to wear that she was careful to never ever take home.

Sammy shrugged. "Suit yourself. Wish me luck." She said with a grin as she got up for her try out.

Jon strolled over to Lynn and plopped down next to her. "Hey Alley." He said with a grin.

"Would you stop?" She said to him with a laugh. She did not wear black all the time or even most of the time. While, like Sammy, she was no preppy, her taste ran to calico dresses with docs and flannel shirts she swiped from the guys. Brian and Jon were her favorite victims. Zulfi didn't wear big enough shirts and Jason dressed like Johnny Cash more often than not. If she wasn't in a dress she had on jeans, a floral tunic top, and a military style jacket. Jon was seriously considering stealing one of Sam's old BDU jackets for her.

"If it makes you feel better, Sammy is Brian." Jon said with a smirk.

Lynn's laughter rang out like a bell. "Ok, yah a little but she doesn't look anything like Anthony Michael Hall. Oh hey, it's Sammy's turn. Yah! Go Sammy! Woooo!" She yelled encouragingly at her best friend.

Sammy grinned, saluted Lynn and Jon who she gave a megawatt grin to and settled into position.

The girls' gym teacher fired the starting gun and Sammy was off like a shot, clearing the hundred yard dash in eleven seconds according to Jon's watch. He and Lynn jumped up and made their own dash to the finish line to congratulate Sammy. Lynn hugged her before Jon swung her around then crushed her to his chest.

"Carter, you're in." Mrs. Baker yelled. "Anderson, you're next." She told a slender brown haired girl Lynn had English Lit with.

"My hero." Lynn said laughing while Jon nuzzled Sammy's neck affectionately.

"Mine too." He growled in her ear which made Sammy blush deeply.

"Gross guys. You're in public." Lynn said with a laugh. "Call Brian, let's go celebrate."

"Burgers!" Jon announced and called Brian who was probably practicing his slap shot in his driveway anyway.

"That was amazing Sammy." Lynn told her enthusiastically and hugged her again now that Jon wasn't trying to make her blush which seemed to be his favorite pastime now that he'd figured out he could do so by saying suggestive things to her in public.

Sammy grinned. She couldn't tell the other girl she'd gotten so fast racing her brother as that would lead to questions she couldn't answer. She wasn't even sure Mark even knew about her honestly and she wasn't sure she wanted him to either. Even when dad died, the IOA refused to let her brother be read into the program. It had caused a great deal of friction over the years including him not really understanding the situation with Jack and consequently setting up the original Sam with that useless shrub she nearly married. The last she knew, Mark was still bent out of shape about that, though he had attended Jack and Sam's wedding and behaved himself according to Jack but he'd also left early and been only civil about the whole thing not friendly which was to be expected as she had jilted one of his best friends for her hot boss.

Speaking of hot, a pair of warm brown eyes were boring into her and she turned and gave him a smoldering look that made him swallow hard in spite of himself. She grinned in triumph.

Jon cleared his throat which made Sammy grin even more. "Brian will meet us here so he can pick one or both of you up."

"We could leave your moped here Jon."

"I'd rather not. Some of Conner's buddies are still around and I don't trust them not to try to get even. We'll drop it off at Sammy's and head to Sandy's from there."

Lynn made a sound of disgust.

"Yah, yah." Jon agreed but shrugged. He was too old to think Conner's buddies wouldn't try to get revenge. Even with nothing in it for them, they would do something eventually. He didn't think they would be dumb enough to try to go after Sammy after what Conner doing so resulted in, but they might go after Lynn or Lori or try to gang up on one of the guys. He hoped it was Jason or Zulfi. Zee in particular could mop the floor with guys three times his size. Jon thought it was hilarious.

"Mind if I ride with you?" Sammy asked him.

"Pfftt… do I mind. Carter…" He said with a laugh.

"Just checking." She said grinning cheekily at him. He kept an extra helmet in his locker for her at school so they agreed to go inside and retrieve it.

"You going to be ok out here waiting for Brian?" Jon asked Lynn.

"I get to spend time alone with my boyfriend. What a hardship." Lynn told him sarcastically. Which made Sammy laugh.

Jon grinned. "Just checking Alley Reynolds."

Lynn slapped him on the shoulder which just made Jon laugh harder. "Remind me to have Carter teach you how to punch. That was weak."

"That's really not a bad idea but I think Aunt Sam or Vala are better choices." Sammy suggested.

"Oh! Yah, Vala can kick my ass any day." Jon agreed.

"Ok pervert." Sammy told him slapping his other arm.

"Ow." Jon whined as Sammy had, in fact, hit him rather hard. "I need that arm Carter." But he grinned and draped his arm over her shoulder as they walked away.


	3. Like a Bad Penny

**Chapter 3 – Like a Bad Penny**

Lynn was sitting on the school steps waiting for Jon and Sammy to show back up or Brian to pull up, whichever came first. She figured it would be Brian as Jon and Sammy had a bad habit of getting distracted when together. Lynn pulled out her sketch book and started doodling as she usually did. A shadow fell over her and at first she thought it might be Jon as he habitually peered over her shoulder the same way in art class to see what she was working on.

"That doesn't look anything like him." The female voice said to her.

"Depends on who you think it's supposed to be." Lyn said absently to Heather who had critiqued her artwork for years. When she was younger Heather's biting remarks about her skills had hurt. Over time Lynn had realized Heather couldn't draw worth crap and didn't know a Monet from a Klimt. She was about adept at critiquing art as Lynn could run a hundred yard dash.

"Looks like you drew Jon only old and wrinkly."

Lynn smiled softly as she had in a way. Jon bore a striking resemblance to his uncle now that Lynn thought about it. He did make jokes about being his uncle's clone so possibly the family resemblance was that strong. Sammy looked an awful lot like her aunt after all. She bet family reunions were going to be loads of fun in a few years if Jon and Sammy stayed together which Lynn was pretty sure they would.

"It's not Jon." Lynn said with a shrug.

"Sure it's not." Heather said with a laugh. "Sad little Lynn can't get a real boyfriend so she daydreams about her best friend's instead."

Lynn rolled her eyes. She technically had two boyfriends right now which was two more than Heather had apparently. She adored Jon, but not in the way Heather thought. He was like an awesome big brother to her if she were to put it into words. "So is this your new hobby Heather?" She asked in disinterest as she added some shading to the side of Jack's face and erased the corners of his eyes to add laugh lines.

"Now it's really off. Jon's smile is never that serious." Heather complained. "And his hair is way longer." She pointed out.

"Well that's because it's not Jon." Lynn said under her breath and deepened the shadow in the bracket on his cheek. And Jack's smile was always a little serious, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, which, with his job, he very well might. Sammy's Uncle Wil deferred to Uncle Jack when they spoke and she didn't think he noticed he was doing it when Uncle Jack didn't point it out. Lynn had only noticed herself because people rarely paid attention to her. She'd made such a practice of being invisible as a kid that even in her teens, adults tended to not notice she was in the room. Uncle Jack seemed to notice her then pretend he didn't which made her sort of confused about his motives because she'd overheard things she was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to. Like Uncle Wil had worked for a place called Stargate and Aunt Mare still did but her position was out of Groom Lake which made no sense as there was nothing there but a military base no one was allowed into. She also knew that the official story the government knew was that Gracie was Jack's daughter by marriage as Sam was pregnant with her already when they got married. Lynn however knew that Jack was Gracie's father biologically and she was fairly certain that Jack didn't know she knew or if he did, trusted her to keep it to herself. In fact Jack seemed to trust Lynn to keep an awful lot to herself and she really wasn't sure why.

Heather was prattling on about some nonsense Lynn had utterly lost track of while she made subtle changes to her drawing of Jack. It still wasn't quite right but she hadn't seen him since the trial as he was back in Washington. Wil and Mary had Gracie more than not lately. Something about a base security breach. Sam had stopped by to see her a few times but not taken her home in about a month and Lynn had noticed black government issue vans less than subtly patrolling the Amos neighborhood. At first she'd thought it was because of the trial but they had remained and Lynn figured it had something to do with Sam's job. She'd been not so subtly trying to get Aunt Mary to take a position at the mountain facility too.

Lynn shook her head absently and lightened the hair near Jack's temple. Heather prattled on oblivious to how little attention Lynn was paying her. She heard the engine of Brian's car before she saw it. Lynn smiled a little and pondered drawing Sam next who she'd seen more recently. Meanwhile, she finished up drawing the rumpled sweatshirt Jack seemed to favor on his days off.

"Hey beautiful. Some weirdo called me and said you needed a ride." Brian said, walking up the steps.

Before Lynn could say anything Heather looked up and grinned. "Oh hi Brian! How did you know I needed a ride?"

Brian stopped, looked up at the sky, stuck his tongue in his cheek and appeared to be counting. He then ignored Heather and sat down next to Lynn. "Hey, awesome drawing of Uncle Jack. You really got his eyes right. He always looks happy and sad at the same time."

Lynn nodded in agreement. "The weirdo is inside probably making out with Sammy." She said with a small smile.

"Want to ditch them?" Brian suggested in a conspiratorial tone that made Lynn laugh.

"Doncha think they might notice?"

Brian rolled his eyes and mock frowned. "It's Jon and Sammy. The world could end and they probably wouldn't notice." Brian made a face. "It's kind of gross how cute they are." But he laughed. Jon was an entirely different person since Sammy moved to town. The Jon he'd known Freshman year had been rude and cynical. He could still be that guy, but something about Sammy knocked the edges off the guy. He hoped they stayed together because he didn't want to see how his best friend would be if they didn't.

"It's extremely gross. Where's my kiss?" She asked pointedly.

"Pushy woman.' He muttered and leaned in to gently brush his lips against hers.

Behind them Heather huffed.

"Are we bothering you Heather?" Brian asked her pointedly. "Cause there's other places to hang out here." He grinned at Lynn. "Is your other boyfriend joining us?"

"You know, I didn't think to have Jon call him." She said with a chuckle. "He'd going to be put out if no one invites him along."

"No way you have two boyfriends."

"She totally has two boyfriends." Brian said smugly. "I don't mind sharing though. She's too much woman just for me." Brian told Heather warming to the subject as he dialed his phone. When Jason answered the phone Brian played it up. "Yo, our woman says we are going out for burgers. You in?" Brian shook his head. "Dude, you coming to eat some juicy hot meat with us or not?"

Lynn was starting to develop a fit of giggles.

"Hang on, I need you to tell someone something." He handed the phone to Heather on speaker. "Tell her Jay."

"Now what's all this?" Jay asked sounding confused.

"Are you Lynn's boyfriend?"

"Yah? What of it?" Jay answered.

"And Brian is also her boyfriend?"

"Last time I checked. You still dating her Bri?"

"Are you kidding? I'm taking her out for burgers, aren't I?"

"Well then there you go. We're both dating her." Jay drawled through the speaker.

Heather looked flummoxed. "You people are so weird." She huffed.

"She's just mad because Jon shot her down this morning." Brian whispered loudly.

Heather fisted her hands and stormed off.

"Anyone want to explain to me what just happened?" Jay asked his laughing friends.


	4. All Aboard!

**Chapter 4 – All Aboard!**

An hour later, Brian had swung by Wil and Mary's to pick up Sammy and Jon. Lynn sat between Brian and Jay and Sammy and Jon sat across from them at Sandy's. Vickie had given Sammy a big hug when they got in and Ted had too then affectionately kissed her on the cheek before leading them to one of the long tables.

"So Jay says," Brian started giggling again and couldn't finish.

"She asked if I was her boyfriend and I told her yah, what of it. Then she asked if Brian was too and he said he was."

"You should have seen her face!" Brian said laughing so hard tears streamed down his cheeks.

Sammy giggled. "Heather strikes out twice today and our goddess here has two guys."

Lynn blushed.

Jon meanwhile had pulled out her sketchbook and was flipping through it. "Hey Sammy, did you see this?"

"Wow! Lynn, this is great. His eyes are just perfect!"

"They are?"

"For a guy you've only met a few times you really captured what makes him who he is just with the eyes."

"He's got a really old soul, like he's seen everything in the universe and lots of it really hurt to see." Lynn said softly.

Jon and Sammy exchanged a look. "He kind of has." Jon admitted. "Uncle Jack used to be in black ops. He's had to do some really terrible things and he's had some really sad stuff happen to him too."

Sammy gave him a sympathetic look and squeezed his knee discreetly under the table.

"All I know is mom would never admit it but he scares the crap out of her." Lynn said with slightly malicious glee that made Sammy wrinkle her nose at Jon in humor.

"So he's not just a stuffed shirt?" Brian asked Jon in interest. He'd kind of figured Uncle Jack got his position by being good at paperwork or something.

"Brian, have you seen him in uniform? The front of his jacket must weigh a ton there's so many medals on it." Lynn admonished him.

"Someone has a crush on Uncle Jack." Jay said laughing.

"I do not." Lynn scowled mulishly.

Sammy grinned at her. "Lynn literally every straight girl that meets Uncle Jack has a crush on him. He's ridiculously handsome and gives off that sexy but slightly crazy vibe that most women find hot." Sammy said with a sly smile and inexplicably to the rest of the teens, Jon blushed.

"Lucky you, Jon is his ringer." Lynn told Sammy with a dreamy smile.

"Hey!" Brian said but he was laughing. Jack was a good looking guy but that wasn't what Sammy saw in Brian's gawky best friend who currently had acne and gangly arms that poked out from his sleeves awkwardly.

"You're cute too Bri." Jay told him.

"Thanks" Brian told him dryly. Sammy and Jon laughed.

"And if it makes you feel any better Bri, Aunt Sam's first impression of Uncle Jack was that he was a sexist jerk." Sammy told him. "He's not exactly charming sometimes."

"It was?" Jon asked her, surprised.

"You don't think it shouldn't have been? He told her 'I like women' like she was some kind of conquest." Sammy huffed.

"Is she still mad about that?"

"I have no idea but she sure was offended at the time."

Jon looked thoughtful.

"Wow." Was all Lynn said. "Balloon popped."

Brian chuckled. "Even dreamy Uncle Jack has his flaws huh."

"I was little but I remember Aunt Sam just being really steamed her first day of work. She threw a vase."

"Wait Aunt Sam has a temper? She's always so sweet around us." Lynn said, mystified.

"Does Aunt Sam have a temper." Jon's mild Minnesota accent thickening with his colloquial turn of phrase and laughed. "The stories Uncle Jack has told me about her temper. Let's just say don't make her mad on a mission because she'll take it out on whoever the target is."

"Not that this isn't fun but don't we need to talk about the Heather thing?" Jay pointed out.

"How do you mean?" Brian asked.

"Like she's making the rounds of the entire hockey team trying to find a chink in the wall."

Jon shrugged. "Other than Z, the other guys are single."

"Yah which means eventually she's going to find someone who helps her insinuate herself into the group." Jay pointed out and shoved some fries in his mouth.

"We can handle her." Lynn said firmly.

"I don't know that I want to put you in that position hon." Jay told her. "Eventually she'd going to figure out you're my beard and your mom doesn't know about Bri being your actual boyfriend which, if she's smarmy enough, will get back to your mom."

"She's never going to Lynn's house ever and she's not going to be welcome at mine." Sammy said with a dark light in her eyes.

"No adults to manipulate at my place." Jon pointed out. "Not that it would work if I lived with Uncle Jack and Aunt Sam anyway." He said with a shrug.

"That leaves my place and while my mom would have my ass if I forbid my teammate from bringing his girl, if we told her what was really going on mom would absolutely play the party line."

"You're sure?" Lynn asked him.

"Lynn, you've met my mom. She's as evil as Sammy here."

"Hey!" Sammy said laughing.

"The only person you have convinced you're sweet and innocent is Uncle Jack, Sammy." Jon told laughing. "Oh and Lynn, the military is really rough on women, Uncle Jack was probably trying to figure out how much he was going to have to coddle Aunt Sam when they met because their boss stuck her on his team with no warning at all."

Sam huffed out a laugh. "Coddle her. As if."

Jon grinned ear to ear. "Yah." Jon said laughing. "I know. But he didn't know that then."

"True, the knife fight kind of put an end to that nonsense from him." Sammy said laughing.

"Knife fight?" Brian asked perplexed.

"One time on a mission Aunt Sam got kidnapped and she ran her mouth until the guy who took her couldn't stand it anymore. She challenged the guy to a knife fight to let her go."

Everyone turned to Sammy and looked at her in awe.

"Your aunt is a badass." Brian said in admiration. "Remind me to never make her mad."

Sammy laughed. That wasn't even one of the better stories. Just one of the few they could tell. "I wouldn't mess with her." She admitted.

"After what you did to Conner I don't think anyone is going to mess with you for a while either Sammy." Jay told her.

"I got lucky. He wasn't expecting a real fight with someone who's family taught them self defense. That's all." Sammy said, suddenly clearly uncomfortable.

Jon patted her hand reassuringly "You are tough and he's lucky you weren't armed."

Sammy grinned evilly. "Uncle Wil says he's going to have to get more creative with my range challenges soon."

"Suddenly I feel a little sorry for Heather." Jason said which made Jon laugh until he had to hold his stomach.

"We've got this Jay. I'm sure her little ringleader is putting her up to it. Lynn and I will make her sorry she tried."

Lynn looked at her. "We will?"

"Oh yah. She's going to wish she never tangled with us when we're done with her." Sammy said evilly and Jon choked on a laugh. He missed Janet like hell but she'd left an indelible mark on the woman he loved. Sam didn't let anyone mess with her now. He knew she wished she'd listened to Janet about Pete and this Sam at least would honor her memory by never being emotionally manipulated again if she could help it. Jon made a mental note to call Jack and tell him. Jack would be so happy Jon might score another case of beer.


End file.
